THE Australian military failed to send a helicopter to rescue
East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao when he was hiding under
bushes in the jungle during last Monday's assassination attempts in
Dili.

Joaquim Fonseca, one of Mr Gusmao's closest advisers, has told
The Age that Mr Gusmao and his driver, who ran into the
jungle after one of the attacks, hailed a local minibus when a
helicopter failed to arrive.

Australian Defence Force spokesman Andrew Nikolic confirmed
yesterday there was a 10-minute gap between Mr Fonseca phoning an
International Stabilisation Force (ISF) emergency line and soldiers
receiving a report that Mr Gusmao was safe.

But Brigadier Nikolic described the actions of the Australian
soldiers as commendable. He said the Australians directed their
response to Mr Gusmao's home in the mountains above Dili where, it
became known later, his wife, Kirsty Sword-Gusmao, was hiding under
a bed with her three terrified children.

Mrs Sword-Gusmao has said Portuguese police took them to safety
about 90 minutes after the attack on her husband.

Brigadier Nikolic said ISF logs showed that an Australian
helicopter was flying over Mr Gusmao's house within 30 minutes of
becoming aware of the possible presence of gunmen. But he said it
could not land because the terrain was unsuitable.

But Mr Fonseca said he was unhappy that a helicopter was not
sent immediately.

He said he called the ISF's civilian liaison officer, Dillon
Walsh, about 7.50am on Monday, more than an hour after gunmen had
shot President Jose Ramos Horta.

Mr Fonseca said he had just spoken to Mr Gusmao from his hiding
place and he had requested a helicopter to rescue him and another
to fly to his house to check on his family.

Mr Fonseca said Mr Walsh had told him the ISF had not heard
about an attack on Mr Gusmao.

"Well, I'm telling you information about the attack, so you have
heard about it," Mr Fonseca said he told Mr Walsh.

A spokeswoman for the United Nations in East Timor, Allison
Cooper, said last night that Mr Fonseca's complaint would be
included in a UN investigation into security for the country's
leaders.

Mr Fonseca's criticisms may fuel dissatisfaction with Australian
soldiers at a time when Australia's elite SAS are leading the hunt
for the rebels responsible for the attacks.

East Timor's army chief, Taur Matan Ruak, announced at the
weekend that his soldiers had joined that hunt. Australian Bob
Lowry, a former military adviser to the East Timor Government,
described that as unwise.

Worshippers across East Timor prayed yesterday for Mr Ramos
Horta to make a full recovery.